33 comments:

That just brings me to tears. NO animal should have to work that hard to breathe!!! The only two people who could think this "normal" are Stu Ped and Fanny Attic, the couple who bred these dogs to be like this. I am past angry.

Fleur Britten wrote a piece in the Times supplement ‘Style’ this Sunday, entitled ‘Diamond Dogs - promoting the purchase of Bulldogs and Pugs as really ‘cool’ accessories. You know the type of article, pictures of a Bulldog puppy in a handbag etc.Please feel free to let her know what you think of her too. It’s simply irresponsible journalism in a paper that is supposed to reach an educated readership

If she had a child who made noises like that when he breathed, though, I'll bet she'd take the child to the doctor. I find it interesting how much people's view of "normal" is impacted simply by what they have been told. I am sure she adores her dog and treats him well and wants nothing but the best for him. However, her ears are not sending the signal to her brain that they should be, which is "those are labored breathing sounds; the dog is in distress."

The daft BBC radio presenter, Joanne Good, has a bulldog she uses as a fashion accessory. The dog had to have a serious op to have her palate fixed as well as her eyes. Google Barking Blondes - there are a few vids on Youtube of her fannying around with her bestie and her mini bull terrier. They did a Sky TV programme together as well - A different breed I think it was called.

This is a terrible state for a dog to be in! If this was a human child they would be diagnosed as suffering a serious deformity - and if someone had done it to them deliberatly then they would be arrested and charged with child cruelty. I cannot belive that the Kennel Club support this sort of thing. I find it even more incredible that an owner and supposed dog lover could ever think that it's normal, and right, for their dog to be suffering in such an obvious way.

I don't know pugs very well - but that doesn't stop me from knowing that the dog in the video has a very, very serious repiratory problem!

I think Pugs make wonderful dogs, they are very well behaved, quiet and lovable little dogs, however, I would never consider buying one. I live in a hot country and fear that even a pug climbing out of its basket in the morning could succumb to heatstroke and even death. I would fear for the health of my dog, fear for the vet bills, and no doubt fear that all too soon he or she would be prematurely taken from me as his or her body has been distorted out of proportion so severely that nature does just what it should, and ends the dog's life prematurely so that its genes cannot prosper.

I happen to live near one of the greatest dog parks in the USA and the pugs were out in force during yesterday's unusually warm and sunny weather. I wasn't the only dog owner there visibly wincing as the pugs and bulldogs tottered past, snorting heavily and unable to keep up with the other dogs games.

It's heartbreaking to see the especially young ones lose their motivation to play, too slow and tired to even keep up with yorkies and dachshunds.

The heavily-coated breeds are able to swim to cool off, but the pugs can't even do that. I saw a couple of owners carrying a pug and French bulldog back to the car, exhausted from the heat. The temperature yesterday? 16 degrees C (61 F)

I think at that point, you can just stereotype her as a supremely dumb valley girl who lives in a bubble, where she literally cannot comprehend the implications of complex problems, especially in the long-term, or that transcend her own personal values. In a way I feel that to be sadly normal for most, to at least some degree. But here is a case that is particularly severe, relative to those more informed.

I think love is something that is sometimes misunderstood and misdirected when it comes to dogs. I am not referring to all owners of course, but love requires a deep level of understanding and empathy. Simply projecting affection onto a creature who you think is unbelievably cute without fully understanding it's nature isn't love in my opinion.

I'm sure she feeds it, cares for it and it gets lots of cuddles but she is demonstrating an indirect cruelty by failing to understand that the dog is in distress. Lack of education and knowledge.

And, funny how no brachycephalic breeders aren't bleating on here yet about how lovely their dogs are?

Jemima, the incontinent and wheelchair thing might be DM (we know a pug with DM) which is a (probably) polygenic problem that occurs in ALL breeds, and mutts. It is not especially common in Pugs. It is similar to ALS in humans and as such is getting a fair amount of research.

Of course it might be a mechanical problem such as IVDD, which can also occur in any dog but is certainly more common in dogs that are bred for dwarfism, or for long backs.

@Jemima I think you misunderstand my wording. I say "valley girl" the same way I say "boy" "man" "girl", or "alligator". It is merely a noun of what they are, and within this case, can be stereotyped to be, since she fits the image so well. It has nothing to do with her well-meaning love for dogs, or her intelligence. In fact, I have seen rather intelligent valley girl (high IQ, good grades), but her manner of speech, opinions, and interests made me want to slam my own face with a sledgehammer.

Another example is the stereotype of what a British citizen is like, being "accented"(ironically) and talking sophisticated-like, when, as we all know there are quite a few dumb ones. The same logic can apply to an American or whatever else.

I am a little sad though that I have to spell this out whenever I use any stereotyped noun/personality/person, and people think it automatically offending, even here where breed standards are regularly questioned.

In a few decades I'll probably cry at night at how being called an American is on par with being called a "nigger", and the originator using that word is prosecuted for their manner of speech. Political correctness seems to be that hunter hunting like its open season, not just in the wilderness, but within cities or blogs or editorials.

That does make me a bit worried. But as you have said in a previous post, even the extreme can become the norm to those who fight against it, so I guess the same happens with words. I think that's why words like "love" seems to have lost its meaning a long time ago beyond shallow usage.

When I was really small, visits to the hospital in the middle of the night were common... but when I was a teen, I didn't want to get my parents worried so I'd try to manage the distress and only talk to them in the morning (and pretend it was not a big deal). I've done the same things pugs and bulldogs do to unblock the airways. I have tried to sleep sitting up because my airways would block if I laid down. I couldn't control de noise and I couldn't stand up without feeling tired and a little fainty.

There is no other condition in the dogdom that makes me so angry as brachycephaly. It is obvious, it is easy to fix, but people keep breeding dogs that will live their WHOLE lives like I did when I had a asthma crisis.

I hold my hands up to the fact that I own a Pug. I have to swiftly follow that with the fact that I won't be owning another one. I love him to bits, he is a wonderful character and very, very loving, but my brain tells me it's wrong to have a dog that looks like him. Having said this....IF HE EVER WAS BREATHING like this dog I would be horrified!! I keep him quite lean for a Pug and he goes out for walks over the fields with my Whippets and Daxies most days. He does like to sunbathe more than my other dogs do. He'll deliberately go and lie in the sun for hours and he still doesn't breath like this dog!! I think a huge percentage of Pugs are too fat and not exercised properly. But also a huge amount are very poorly bred with no consideration for anything other than money or winning prizes in the show ring. My boy is 10yrs old in June and is slowing up a bit on the hills but otherwise seems fit. My sister has 3 French Bulldogs that she took on from a breeder who no longer wanted them and the male (ex stud dog) is in a terrible way healthwise. His movement is terrible, his eyes a complete mess and as for his breathing...shocking. He has trouble sleeping unless his head is elevated and has had some nights when he has mucus streaming from his nose. The thing is he was a stud dog, so how many babies has he passed all this on to?

"I think a huge percentage of Pugs are too fat and not exercised properly. But also a huge amount are very poorly bred with no consideration for anything other than money or winning prizes in the show ring."

I agree, a huge percentage of pugs (as well as all other breeds) are overweight and not proerly exercised. However I'd disagree that a huge percentage of pugs are bred for show - they're such a fashionable breed that most seem to be 'pet-bred' and very often unregistered.

Did you know about the Pugagility team? They're far more athletic than many people would believe possible.

Anybody watch Alan Titchmarsh this afternoon, he had a piece on his show regarding the health and welfare issues of some pedigree dogs due to years if inbreeding and breeding for looks his guests were the pug, the cavalier and the sharpei!!! For those with their heads still up their backsides is he wrong as well spose he also requires a good bashing for trying to do the right thing for dogs.

I have only just watched this clip and I would be quite worried about this dog if it came into my clinic. The noise and respiratory effort are excessive even for a pug.

Despite their facial confomation a pug should be able to run and breath with no effort and plenty do. Yes they make more snuffly noises than breeds with noses but this clip shows something much more serious than that. It's worrying that the owner thinks this is normal.

I`ve seen a couple agility pugs that didn't make such noise,with a lean built and longer legs. But I also seen plenty of pet ones that where pretty much just as bad as the one in the video above,most do not seem as well built as the agility ones.

I`ve also seen a Australian Shepherd make similar noises when walking,something must of been wrong with it as well. It was the only Aussie I`ve seen like that,so it's not like its a problem in the breed.-Rachel

Not only people are afraid of pugs noises... my puppy doesn't like to play with pugs and bulldogs, because after 10 seconds they start to snort and she doesn't understand what is this weird noise and becomes scared. yeah so normal and healthy.

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About Me

I grew up with pedigree dogs - English Setters, Great Danes, Labradors and, most recently, Flatcoated Retrievers. Today, I share my home with an assortment of dogs, purebred and mutts. In 2008, I directed Pedigree Dogs Exposed, a BBC documentary which uncovered the extent of health and welfare problems in pedigree dogs. The film has now been shown in more than 20 countries. Campaigning for improved purebred dog health is now a great passion - one fuelled by the fear that those who currently view themselves as the guardians of pedigree dogs are, often unwittingly, the agents of their demise.
My mission, then, is to continue to highlight where things have gone wrong and to encourage breeders and Kennel Clubs to embrace reform - particularly when it comes to harmful phenotypes and inbreeding.